Blogging Psalm 1

Psalm 1

I love food. The nice little tire in front of my otherwise very skinny body will attest to that statement. I am probably the only person in America who is at his ideal weight for his height and still be out of shape. In college, my fraternity brothers called me "the skinniest fat man alive." Or was it "the fattest skinny man alive." I can’t remember now.

Last year, I surprised Melissa by booking reservations at an incredibly nice restaurant on the shores of Lake Ray Hubbard near Dallas. We're talking one of those places where the wine list is longer than the menu. The sign on the front of the door read something like this. "Proper business attire required." I actually had to wear dress clothes outside of Sunday morning. Melissa put on a skirt and heels. When I say nice place, I mean it.

Now I've had many steaks before, but this one put them all to shame. When I go a "steakhouse" that I can usually afford, the first thing I ask for is the A1. The first bite into this one, and I knew that there would be no need for the waiter to return. "Does everything taste ok" turned out to be the most redundant question I'd ever heard. I look back and notice something. When food is that good, you just eat it slower. You chew slower. You savor every bite.

Psalm 1 talks about what the Word of God is like for those who believe in Him. It's a cry, a desperate plea for people to live right with God. David Crowder calls it "…a declaration of the intentions of obedience for [Israel’s] life of worship."

Verse 2 says that "His delight is in the Law of the Lord and on his law he meditates day and night." Eugene Peterson translates the word "meditate" in the Message version as "chews." He calls it chewing on the Scriptures. You take it in. You slowly savor every nuance, every flavor, and every word. Eventually, after getting every bit of taste sensation out of it your brain can take in, you digest it and it becomes part of you.

The writer here is calling us to listen to God through digesting His Word and listening for His voice. Even the greatest steak will leave us hungry again tomorrow. He will satisfy our needs in ways we can never imagine.

David Crowder quote from "Praise Habit: Finding God in Sunsets and Sushi" (c) 2004 by David Crowder. Published by NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO.